With former U.N. Ambassador and former Governor Nikki Haley (R-SC) holding her presidential marketing campaign kickoff Wednesday in Charleston, South Carolina, CNN and MSNBC started the assault towards GOP candidates as they search to take out these looking for to problem Donald Trump. For Haley, CNN and MSNBC trashed her for saying “America shouldn’t be a racist nation” and as an alternative arguing “nothing may very well be farther from the reality.”

The Lead and State of the Union anchor Jake Tapper went to Sunday Inside Politics host Abby Phillip by remarking “[o]ne of the largest moments of her speech was when she declared that America shouldn’t be a racist nation.”

Phillip lashed out by saying Haley “can’t get round race,” beginning with the truth that she’s “from the State of South Carolina, which has a extremely horrible, violent, racist historical past and I feel she is aware of that she has to handle that.”

She then griped that her optimistic message about her upbringing as an Indian in South Carolina was too sanitized: “[S]he’s delivering a message that she is aware of Republican voters are going to obtain in a sure approach, in precisely the best way that they wish to hear it.”

Displaying Phillip has a hate-filled and overly simplistic view of Republicans, Phillip insisted “[t]he solely factor they wish to hear is America shouldn’t be a racist nation, however clearly, the problems are extra complicated than that.”

Phillip made clear she thinks America’s a racist nation by the use of stating the query’s “deeper than that and, I feel in some unspecified time in the future, she must actually grapple with that.”

The CNN hack then instructed Haley doesn’t correctly know “race on this nation”:

Nikki Haley presents herself as — she stated it a number of occasions as we speak, a daughter of immigrants, somebody who has a singular view, on distinction on this nation, however that’s not the identical factor as actually understanding race on this nation and the position that it performs and I — and I feel that that’s the half the place she’s going to must go just a little bit additional. For the Republican main for now, although. I feel she did precisely what they needed to listen to. She talked about funding the police. She talked about placing individuals in jail. 

Weekday Inside Politics host John King was additionally dismissive as a result of “[t]listed here are quite a lot of contradictions in that speech, quite a lot of tea celebration themes in there” and work “shall be performed within the days and weeks forward by us, by her rivals” to knock her down.

He added that, regardless of her “optimistic” message, he predicted such candidates gained’t essentially have success since GOP voters dislike that.

CNN political director David Chalian concurred and hilariously tried to argue Haley was socially reasonable as a result of she didn’t go the route of Sarah Huckabee Sanders within the GOP’s State of the Union response with themes of “darkish[ness]” and “vital race principle” like “you may hear on Newsmax or Fox.”

In any other case, there have been some platitudes. Tapper stated she gave “a strong protection of her conservative rules and the liberty that America stands for” in a “remarkably effectively delivered speech” whereas his State of the Union co-host Dana Bash complimented her for “a really rousing” rally.

MSNBC was much less charitable. After Capitol Hill correspondent Ali Vitali praised her speech as “fascinating” in the best way she talked about gender whereas additionally specializing in her “home coverage chops” and “deep expertise overseas,” the gloves got here off.

Fake Republican Michael Steele stepped up, trashing her for “attempting to have just a little little bit of cake and eat it as effectively” by not disparaging Donald Trump whereas additionally hinting on the want for a brand new era of leaders.

Steele later added that her requires competency assessments of politicians over 75 (one thing his ilk demanded be performed of Trump) “is simply foolish” and proves she’s “not severe.”

Boston Globe senior opinion author Kimberly Atkins Stohr stated she’d “have a extremely tough time getting via a main” and in addition confirmed her disdain for Haley refusing to say America’s racist (click on “develop”):

Look, not solely does her previous reference to Trump actually flip off By no means Trump voters, however the — the occasions that she has been vital of him makes those that are a part of the core MAGA base mistrust her as effectively. And you may see in her speech she’s attempting to do — you recognize, have it each methods. She talked negatively about immigration and used the phrase illegals, however on the similar time informed this story about how Venezuelans see American — America as a rustic of hope. 

She opened her video speaking about how, the place she grew up, it was racially divided by railroad tracks, however, on the similar time, says, however, you recognize, racism’s over. That’s simply wokeness. She doesn’t appear to have a transparent message as a result of she’s attempting to please everyone who she’s going to wish to please on this main, and it simply finally ends up falling flat throughout. I feel she must attempt to determine — she’s the primary one out. All candidates have to do this. However we’re all watching her do it in actual time.

Later, Mitchell introduced in doable Haley opponent John Bolton to substantiate their priors that there’s no “severe case for her candidacy” and Haley evaluating herself to fellow former U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick could be like “evaluating a destroyer to a surfboard.”

CNN and MSNBC’s collective try and dismiss Haley’s candidacy in an effort to guarantee a Trump nomination was made doable because of the assistance of advertisers akin to Lexus (on CNN) and Progressive (on MSNBC). Comply with the hyperlinks to see their contact info on the MRC’s Conservatives Struggle Again web page.

To see the related transcript from February 15, click on right here (for CNN) and right here (for MSNBC).